Posted By RVBusiness On March 1, 2011 @ 1:52 pm In Breaking News | No Comments

The 45th Annual Detroit Camper & RV Show, sponsored by the Michigan Association of Recreation Vehicles & Campgrounds (MARVAC), experienced its best show in 10 years, according to a news release.

The show, which ran from Feb. 16-20 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, recorded 18,400 attendees — a 12% increase from the 2010 show.

Saturday alone saw over 9,000 attendees, making it the busiest day in MARVAC RV show history. According to Bill Sheffer, director of MARVAC, show visitors lined up on Saturday before the show opened, with strong ticket sales continuing all day.

Over 280 new recreation vehicles were on display at the Detroit Camper & RV Show. Many RV dealers in the show reported customers looking for smaller, lightweight and more fuel-efficient RVs.

“Buyers are back,” said Victoria Rokas of Vicars Trailer Sales in Taylor. “Customers were upbeat, positive and confident about purchasing an RV as they look for more value for their dollar.”

According to the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA), RVs are now attracting young buyers between the ages of 18 and 34. In fact, the fastest growing group of RV buyers falls in this age demographic, although buyers between the ages of 35 and 54 remain the largest segment of RV owners.

Sheffer noted the same trend at the Detroit Camper & RV Show, “Show attendees varied in age, but large numbers of families with young children were prevalent throughout the day.”

MARVAC also sponsors the Flint Camper & RV Show in Flint at the Perani Arena & Event Center and the 19th Annual Northwest Camper & RV Show in Traverse City, which will both run in March this year. For more information on these upcoming shows, visit www.marvac.org.